The trailer for the movie is up on youtube in a grainy totally cam stolen edition, so if you want to watch it check it out HERE. The quality is not that good in that there are background noises from the stealer, but you still get a chance to see some of the new animation as well as all the characters making their appearances. REJOICE!

I took a few cosplay photos while stumbling around the convention as well as a few snap shots of the beautiful archway that lead over to where the registration area was in the Washington State Convention Center. I also shows you what the place looked like before the chaos of Saturday. So enjoy the tranquility and the costumes.

Today I had the fun and honour of sitting down with the wonderful Hiroshi Nagahama, here at Sakura Con 2008. Nagahama-san is the director of the gorgeous Mushishi, plus he has done work on the popular Fruits Basket and Utena series, as well as personal favourite of mine, Sexy Commando. I sat and talked with him through the help of a translator, the wonderful Rai Kamishiro, about the above series, biological science fiction (a HUGE theme in Mushishi), his new Detroit Metal City project, and a host of other things. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did doing it.

Day 3 in all though was quite relaxing as I managed to snag a Haruhi Suzumiya 45 RPM single of Hare Hare Yukai, which is a pretty sweet little collectors item. Anime tunes on vinyl is not something you see everyday. I also got a chance to pick up Ultraklystron’s new disc “Open Source Lyricist,” which I am totally playing on the show next week. It is devastating nerdcore awesomeness to say the least. Other than that it was a nice slow relaxing day as me and the crew did a bit of poking around, last minute shopping, and grabbed a quick bit of food and snacks before we hit the road back to Canada, and back home from another Sakura Con. Despite some of the problems I have reported though I had a great time and I hope to come back again next year and check it out. Also look forward to more pictures as I hook up my camera and hopefully soon get some news, views, and stuff some of the friends I went down with to pass along to you. Speaking of which Jesse Betteridge has posted some stuff over at his site, so check that out. In the mean time though, enjoy the Nagahama!

Posted are also pics of the convention center, some cosplayers, as well as some shots of me interviewing Nagahama and the most excellent translator who helped us out. Kudos also to my friend and homey, Craig Young for snapping the photos of the interview session.
Sakura Con Day 3

OK who called the cops? seriously. For a considerable period of time the top floor of the convention center was under a sort of lock down as due to an enormous long line-up for the Ali Project concert and a Gaia Online Panel, police were suddenly called in order to prevent anyone from going up and down stairs effectively sealing off the upstairs portion. Some people I spoke with heavily blamed the Gaia Online panel that overfilled its room. Once con staff tried to reduce the crowding in the room, the people in the panel joined the huge throng of people outside and started blocking escalators and causing a general ruckus leading to the police to intervene. Due to the larger numbers as well, the line ups for the Ali Project concert stretching in huge spirals around the hallways. This same problem resulted in the cosplay show being delayed by one hour as they had difficulties dealing with the numbers of people.

The numbers in general yesterday were indeed huge. In certain places where I had no difficulty moving around on Friday as well as in the last two years at the convention center were made difficult to move around in. It made me wonder at one point if Sakuracon had even outgrown the convention center they just moved to 3 short years ago. It truly is remarkable seeing this convention triple in size in terms of attendance over the past few years. Although I am beginning to wonder if it has grown too big too fast.

The actual convention though yesterday did deliver the highlight of the weekend as Ali Project performed a knockout show complete with dancing drag queens and a twin violin attack, launched on stage along with the wonderful Arika Takarano, who resembles a flowing Asian vampire. All the while Mikiya Katakura stodd at the back like a sleak and cool maestro keeping the backbeat moving on a mac and keyboards, gracefully tapping his white sneakers behind the dimmed sinister lights. The music itself though lives up to the pagentry. Ali Proiect is probably best known for their brilliant Anime theme tunes, but also their dark gothic lyrics that would not be out of place sung by a black metal outfit. Instead they have channeled a unique blend of techno, orchestra touches, soaring violins, and operatic vocals that is all together simply epic. They performed most of the theme songs I was hoping for along with a few I forgot like all the Rozen Maiden themes, the slamming Noir theme, and Avenger’s opening and closing themes, and also the brand new Shigofumi theme, which was accompanied by a looped animation sequence of the opening animation on the large screen behind them. I will provide pictures of this hopefully soon, because seriously missing this was not an option.

I later attended another great panel with Roland Kelts and Marty LeGrow, the authors of Japanamerica and Bizenghast respectfully, who expanded on the what Roland discussed yesterday in terms of Japanese cool, but also he talked in length with Marty about her experiences as a female comic artist. She discussed how Sailor Moon and its fashions, but also its all girl cast that appealed to her as a teenage girl not used to anything but Jem and She-ra as offerings from North American comics and cartoons that was directed and also about females. She admitted that as she got into anime and manga, she did discover the same overt discrimination as in North American cartoons and comics, but there was still a large amount of shows and series that captured a lot of the fashion, the kawaii (cute), and complexities that she found lacking in things outside of manga and anime in other graphic mediums. I am guessing this meant science fiction and printed reading was not an option, but then again, she did graduate with a degree in sequential art. They also further discussed how the manga style gave her a voice in terms of creating Bizenghast, which she tried to get into American Independent comics, but ended up with Tokyopop that was beginning to publish original works along with its translations of Japanese and Korean comics.

Later I attended the Japanese Mangaka panel which featured the authors of Chibi Vampire, Yuna Kagesaki, and Battle Vixens, Yuji Shiozaki, which are both published by Tokyopop. Both of these comics have also been made into anime, which is a huge accomplishment for relatively new mangakas. They both discussed their influence and film was hardly a surprise as inspiring them both, but especially Shiozaki. I asked him how he adapted the moving image of the film to the still image of the comic, but still able to convey the frenetic movement that occurs especially in his battle sequences. He revealed that it was body positions that he studied in terms of the movement, but also he used himself as a sort of living model. He revealed that he posed often in front of the mirror while he was working, often taking off his clothes, and then took photos of himself in order to get that still image from the movements he would do, but also from what he was thinking about in movies. He also said this had unfortunately lead to him being caught in the act by his wife, who has voiced her displeasure of his weirdness. It was also interesting to hear both of them discuss female characters in terms of their ideals. Battle Vixens although being drawn for a young male audience and containing much of the male gaze nevertheless has strong female characters who kick ass, but nevertheless remain aware of the male gaze in their disrobing. Shiozaki responded that he likes quieter women, and finds it far more attractive, but finds himself drawing much more ribald female characters in his manga. Kagesaki on the other hand liked drawing much more troubled more faulted females in her work, and if you have read Chibi Vampire, or seen the anime adaption, this is the case as her female lead, Karin, struggles with in a family of vampires. She herself is an “unvampire” she injects blood into her victims instead of sucking it out. It was also interesting to hear that neither read much manga, but were still inspired to create in the form and are enjoying it as a creative as well as financial opportunity.

Next I was off to the Bandai Entertainment panel, which again was very drab. So far the Tokyopop panel has been the only panel of note for its interesting subject matter as opposed to the dry delivery of trailers and release dates. The only exciting thing about the Bandai Entertainment panel was perhaps the news and excitement around “The Girl Who Leaped Through Time,” which looks like quite an exciting movie. Bandai Entertainment is going to be releasing it theaters, but they could not announce which ones at the moment except that it will be debuting at the New York Anime Fest in a month or two. I seriously hope it is going to be coming to a place where I can see it in all its big screen glory. The character designs are done by the one and only Sadamoto, who did the designs and the brilliant manga adaption of Evangelion.

One thing that I have noticed though is that there is more press in the industry panels than in any of the creator panels. It seems people who do reporting are far more interested in covering the movements and actions of North American companies than talking with and discussing techniques and artistry. It kind of saddens me a bit because the creator panels are far more interesting in terms of discussing the artform that we enjoy rather than the crunching of economics and consumerism.

Speaking of the business side of things though there has been some shocking no-shows to planned panels by industry heads, one of which is clearly ducking away from fans. Friday saw Viz pull a no show to what was going to be a rare appearance for them at a convention. Saturday saw Ocean Studios, a well known dubbing studio were MIA as well. Sunday however, we were informed that the Bandai Visual Panel was canceled. This is hardly a surprise as last year Bandai Visual and their ridiculously overpriced DVDs were he subject of many an attack from the audience at their panel. They do have considerable money invested in the convention, and they do have a presence in terms of a booth, but in ducking the questions of fans and media alike is hardly something I was hoping to see. They are also continuing to be blind to the fact that the Japanese market and the American market are greatly different in terms of pricing and expectations. It is unfortunate too because they have some really exceptional titles like Gunbuster and Gunbuster 2, Wings of Honneamise, and others, but their pricing and distribution is just not what is going to bring them success in the North American market that is requiring forward thinking and new approaches as it is. At least they are trying to convey their products as collectors items and luxuries, but with brilliant packaging and extras that are being done by other North American companies it really seems hardly worth the money they are charging.

After the panels, it was back to hotel room to a defeat at Star Munchkins, which a group of friends had managed to lug along and it good times. Also caught the latest episode of South Park before it was bed time, and enjoyed every minute of it. Tomorrow it is the final day, and I am actually writing this waiting for the arrical of Hiroshi Nagahama, who is unfortunately half and hour late! So hopefully he does not pull a Viz/Bandai Visual/Ocean Studios and arrives shortly so I can do an interview and present it in all its glories for those of you who have been following me in my journeys. So until later, See you all!

Well Day 1 is in the books and now it is Day 2. We get to finally see the Ali Project performance, and if it is anything as good as what we saw at the Opening Ceremony, then it should be good. The Ceremony kicked off with last year’s convention chair trying in vain to do a job as an MC and did quite a good job despite a few order changes that came up on the fly. They wheeled out the Congressman for the area and also a member of the Japanese Consulate who came equipped with a Doraemon mask.

Doraemon has recently been named a Japanese Cultural Ambassador, as Japan seeks to capitalize on not only its cool factor of late tied to its animation and manga, but also project a cute and cuddly face to the world. It is also interesting to see animation made by private companies being used by the government to convey foreign policy messages abroad. Imagine if Mickey Mouse was named by George Bush as an Ambassador, or Casey and Finnegan were sent off on a world tour of good will by Harper. Bill C-10 hardly comes to mind when you think of this sort of thing taking place in North America.

Nevertheless, dignitaries aside, each of the major guests were given a quick intro and received rapturous applause by the crowd. Some like Ali Project, were brought on stage to be introduced. Ali Project came out flanked by six foot tall drag queens in flowing robes and platform shoes. Definitely the sort of thing I was hoping for from the orchestral pop duo with delightfully macabre lyrics. They have also done some of my favourite anime opening theme tunes, so I hoping to hear them soon in a couple of hours actually. EXCITEMENT!

Although the real excitement came later as I had a chance to sit down with Roland Kelts and discuss his new revised and expanded paperback edition of the book he published in 2006 called “Japanamerica.” In the book he seeks to answer the question why Japan and why now in terms of its animation suddenly becoming “cool” over here in North America. He and I talked about how cyberpunk and the few shows that did trickle over during the 1970s and early 1980s built up to the explosion of interest in North America for what has been produced in Japan on the cheap for the past 50 years in its current modern form. However, despite this explosion of interest that has seen convention attendance sky rocket, internet buzz explode, and Hollywood clamouring for titles to adapt, anime DVD sales have plummeted creating what Roland Kelts described in his panel as a “crisis.” It was an interesting theme given that the first slide of the first media panel I intended that was put up on a screen was “Don’t Panic.” This of course was from the wonderful Hitchiker’s through the anime universe known as Funimation. Funimation of course is doing just swimmingly thanks to shrewd title acquisitions and a willingness to embrace digital distribution and form and this does not just mean Itunes. Kelts however underlined that there is a real problem with this in Japan as most of the companies still operate under old dinosaur like figures, who don’t even use email let alone read contracts for the distribution of their shows. Added to this is the problem that most animation studios are run down little hovels paying their workers nothing for long ridiculous hours on shows that will only be sold to tv stations for the equivalent of $3 000 US, a price that has not changed since Osamu Tezuka was selling Astro Boy to Japanese television. He even then was accused of dumping his shows for cheap in order to gain wide exposure, but also push out the competition. In other words DVD sales remian crucial to any of the small time slave driven workers to receive any sort of royalties, if at all. Kelts described though at how the generation gap in terms of digital distribution and change in general has been so crippling that it endangers the industry at as a whole. Added to this of course is the North American Industry that is also seeing DVD sales plummet and demands undergoing a huge change. Fans now want box sets and little delay over when and where they get their shows instead of the 8-12 month wait that usually accompanies a show’s release in Japan to when it comes out in North America. However, with the fear of cheaper North American DVDs being sold and Japan, coupled with the resistance and unwillingness to change has resulted in the crisis that Kelts discussed.

I also sat and chatted with Roland Kelts about the interesting cultural exchanges that are going in terms of the creation of what has been described as “New Manga.” He pointed out that this is not just unique to English speaking fans, as the entire world seems interested in producing its own manga. We discussed also how anime itself was rooted in Tezuka’s love of Bambi, but also how things like cosplay was an American invention in Star Trek conventions and how it is now been adopted by anime fans on both sides of the Pacific and through out the world. So there is a lot of cross pollination going on. Nevertheless, when I questioned him about genre and the reverse racism that seems to be going on with foreign audiences insistence on real anime by real Japanese people, there is still the creation of wonderful new hybrids and explorations of using the artform, and manga in particular, that have come out. “Bizenghast,” by Marty Le Grow, being one of them that is released by Tokyopop. He pointed out that in the end it really does not matter what kind of genre you want to call it, and whatever the so-called purists say, what really matters is stuff that is worth reading, worth watching, and worth enjoying.

After that wonderful discussion and the purchase of Roland Kelts book to take home and peruse, I sat down and talked with Lillian Dee of Tokyopop. I mentioned to her how it was interesting to see that of the five people that comprised her panel, four of them were women. She explained that the manga industry, and especially Tokyopop, is largely driven in terms of its sales by teenage girls, and how this is a huge departure from the traditional 30 to 40 year old male super hero comic buyer. She explained how things like yaoi and boys love, but also shoujo comics and other manga that go beyond portraying women as marrying material have engaged female audiences in North America. I asked her in particular why yaoi and boys love was in particular had been seeing such wide popularity compared to shoujo ai titles featuring lesbian relationships. She answered that there really was no competition from other media. Lesbian styled pornography for men is already in abundance, where smut for women is not as prevelant. Yaoi really gives women the chance to enjoy their porn, but it also creatively explores and questions gender itself, which also a recurring theme in shoujo manga as well. I then asked her favourites and she mentioned a lot of titles I like, for instance Monster, which is fantastic, but for yaoi she mentioned “Loveless” a title she has been working on and has thoroughly enjoyed.

All in all it was a great day except for some issues with a bad microphone that has robbed me of some great interviews, but nevertheless, it was great to sit and chat with some people and really discuss some of the interesting parts of what I really enjoy about anime and manga. Now onto Day 2!

The bags are packed, recording equipment is tested, and I am good to go. Just sitting back and enjoying some Eureka 7 before I jet off down to Seattle for the weekend. A buddy of mine and I have even made a touching tribute to Alexsey Vayner, the internet phenom and high sultan of douchebaggery, in the form of a mix of tunes and quotes from the man himself. Apart from that though, pay attention for pics, news, and interviews to be here on the site soon live from a Seattle hotel room.

In just a few short days it will be time for Sakura Con 2008! I, Jevon Ryan, will be serving as a mobile reporter down there for the show, so if you are heading down to Seattle, Washington and you run to me, say hi. My name tag should have a big HiSciFi on it. Also if you are interested in just going for the actual convention check out their website for details over at SakuraCon.org. They have everything from Japanese Production staff to American Dub Voice Actors to Industry People to some pretty cool bands. Should be a slice. Also look forward to all the coverage here on the site and of course on the show!

Crunchy Roll has grown into a popular site over the past few years as a great youtube styled site offering streaming anime, asian tv shows, and movies for viewing. This of course has included licensed North American properties that has gotten them a few angry letters leading to taking down of content. This however was occassional, and due to the amount of shows they offered for viewing, it was hardly a case of a lack of content, which of course lead to an inevitable swell of users. With the growing of the site however, Crunchy Roll has begun charging for the right to see higher picture quality as well as accepting a $4.05 Million capital investment into their service. This of course again breaks the time honoured tradition of fansubbing and its distribution being done for free and distributed for free without any attempt to gain or achieve profit directly or indirectly off of the subbing work that fansubbing groups create and distribute. For example, fansubbers still frequently include messages in the eye catch scenes in the middle of episodes that usually state “if you paid for this, you’ve been ripped off” in bold large font. This ideal of “free” distribution and production dates back to the tape subbing days and has continued through the digital subbing revolution that has greatly aided in the promoting an unearthing of new and old series and genres for the viewing public. They have also fullfilled the slow move companies have made at moving into the digital distribution of anime, and media in general. Crunchy Roll of course was part of this in that it provided streaming content that North American companies could not do, whether it was out of online naivete or licensing restrictions from Japanese creators and their studios. By not charging anything however, this allowed for corporate tolerance and the adherence to the vagueries of digital copyright laws, as well as the code of online ethics. Now however, all that is changed with this unilateral move by Crunchy Roll that has left users and companies fuming. Not only does this stink of copyright abuse, but it also stinks of a blatant attempt to exploit the content that has been freely compiled by Crunchy Roll and remains free for anyone who knows where to download fansubs and dvd rips. Do you really want to pay for laziness? Do you really want to pay someone who is exploiting hours of work that is done for free? I think the choice is obvious, and course it really is inevitably going to kill crunchy roll in the long run, which is unfortunate because as a free service it really helps in terms of distribution as well as a community builder that mirc once was for fansub enthusiasts, that somewhat still is. What ultimately is going to be the undoing though is the investment money and the subscription service that Crunchy Roll is accepting. Just as fansubs have continually survived due to the strength of the anime audience that does indeed support the industry financially with purchases, that same audience is most likely going to turn on crunchy roll and allow the industry attack dogs to run amock. Anyways, for more info and some actual industry statements on the matter, head over to Japanator’s Article on the matter and check it out.

2 big movie announcements were made in regards to upcoming anime movies this week. The first is a movie version of the ridiculously awesome super robot explosion masterpiece Gurren Lagann, which GAINAX is currently producing and should be out soon. The other announcement was that Hayao Miyazaki, the directorial genius behind such films as Spirited Away, Nausicaa, and Princess Monoke, and many others is returning to the directors’ chair to helm the Studio Ghibli movie Gake no Ue no Ponyo, which roughly translates to Ponyo on the Cliff. It is being described as a modern telling of the Little Mermaid story, and no there will not be singing crab or any of that Disney nonsense. As you can tell by the image I have included with this post it looks more along the lines of supernatural discovery and guessing by Miyzaki’s other works, it is going to have something to do with the environment and childhood. Regardless, I am gasming over this.

ADV announced an appended list of the anime titles that mysteriously disappeared from its website. Many of the titles are still MIA from their website, but ADV has been reassuring fans that these dates are now what to expect from these titles. Sadly there is no Gurren Lagann in the appended dates and ADV is not talking about why!?! In other words one of the greatest titles of the year is not coming to North America as of right now and that is truly disappointing.